Locomotive coupler structure



Feb. 28, v192.9. C. L Rm 2,148,580

bLOCOMOTIVE COUPLER STRUCTURE Filed May ll, 1938 INVENTOR 3 0 Y Ch ar/es L. Reid 28 27 v ATT RNEY Patented Feb. 28, 1939 PATENT OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE COUPLER STRUCTURE Charles L. Reid, Schenectady, N. Y.,l assignor to American Locomotive Company,

N. Y., a corporation New York, of New York Application May 11, 1938, Serial No. 207,251

1 Claim.

This invention relates to locomotive coupler structures of the counterbalance type, and more particularly to a device coacting to yieldingly hold a coupler device of said structure in its inactive 5` position.

A coupler structure-of the aforementioned type is principally for use at the front end of a locomotive and is,-relatively speaking, seldom used. Therefore, for most of the time while the locomotive is running the coupler device of the structure is swung to an inactive position. The device of the conventional structure is loosely secured by a pin in this inactive position, and is supported by engagement of a rear end part of the counterbalance with a part of the structure fixed to or forming part of the locomotive frame. The counterbalance type of coupler device of the conventional structure has a serious objection that, when in inactive position and the locomotive is running, there is a continual vibration or chattering of the device, which is largely due to its balanced characteristic.' 'I'his continual chattering produces excessive wear upon the relatively movable engagingl surfaces of the structure, which wear results inV intensifying the chattering. Any movement whatever of course is unnecessary as the coupler device is inactive in such 'position and should Ybe entirely at rest.

In the conventional type, the counterbalance is provided with a face on a rear end part thereof whichengages a face on a xed part of the locomotive, and the aforementioned pin engages a face of the coupler device, during the inactive position ofthe device. The chattering aforemento a serious hammering ofthe coupler device upon the locomotive and securing pin, which vhas been known ,to cause fracture of the parts subjected to this hammering action, as will later more fully appear.

It is the object of this invention to substantially prevent the'chattering and hammering action of the coupler device when in inactive position and thereforethe injurious consequent results.

Referring to the drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a portion of the front end of a locomotive embodying the present invention and showing the coupler device in sideelevation in inactive position, and in dot and dash lines in active position; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the device of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a section of the device ontheline III-III of Fig. 2. f

The 'present invention is devised for use with f 66 locomotive frontend ycoupler structures of the tioned at times reaches an intensity that amounts counterbalance type. It is however not limited to any particular design of coupler device of this general type. In one design of coupler device the coupler member and the counterbalance are formed together as a one-piece casting, and exemplications of the design are shown in patents to Lentz, No. 1,753,794, granted April 8, 1930, and to Couch, No,k 1,921,382, granted August 8, 1933. In the former patent the device has a decided crook, and an upper face of a part of the counterbalance engages a lower face of a iixed part of the structure. In the latter patent the device has no crook but is formed straight and accordingly an upper face of a part of the counterbalance engages a rear inclined face of a fixed part of the structure.

In another design of coupler device the coupler member is iiexibly connected to the counterbal- .ance and an exemplification of this design is shown in the patent to Hallquist, No. 1,724,194, granted August 13, 1929. The device of this patent has a crook similar to that of the aforementioned Lentz patent and a similar engagement between the counterbalance and a part of the structure.

For the purpose of illustratingan embodiment of the present invention, the design of the Hallquist patent is chosen and is shown in Fig. 1. In all three patents a removable pin is employed for holding the coupler device in active position, and thepin is also employed for holding the device in inactive position. In the present invention a pin, for a similar purpose, is also provided, and the particular type of pin construction of the Hallquist patent is shown for illustrative purposes. This pin in the present instance has an additional function which forms an important part of the present invention, as will later more fully appear.

Referring to Fig. 1, as the general design of vstructure there shown is conventional, only a brief description thereof is deemed necessary. Only` a small portion of the locomotive is shown, and is indicated generally by the reference numeral l. This portion shows the coupler structure and comprises a frame 2, a pilot beam 3, a pilot 4 and a coupler device, indicated generally by the reference numeral 5.

The coupler device comprises a counterbalance 6 provided with a rearwardly extending lug 'l having an upper face 8 and further provided with an outer end portion 9 forming a crook. This portion is provided with a horizontal orice lil. The counterbalance (and therefore the coupler device) is mounted on a horizontal pin /I I which passes through the orice Il)` and extends through the face 8 and its engaging face.

orifices formed in the sides of the pilot 4. The coupler device is thus rotatably supported by the pilot for movement in a vertical plane to and from active and inactive positions. The coupler device further comprises a coupler member I2 which is bifurcated at its rear end, the crooked portion 9 fitting between the branches of the bifurcation, and a pivot pin I3, disposed in a vertical plane, extends through aligned orices in the branches and crooked portion 9 thereby pivotally connecting the coupler member with the counterbalance to permit the required slight lateral movement of the coupler member when in active position.

The coupler member is provided with a face I4 and an elongated transverse hole I5, the elongation being in a direction longitudinally of the coupler member. The pilot side portions are provided each with an orice I 6 which is in alignment with the hole I5 when the coupler member is in active position as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. When in this aligned position a pin II is passed through the orifices I8 and hole I5 thereby supporting the coupler device in active position.

When the coupler device is to be moved to inactive position, asshown in full lines in Fig. 1,

the pin Il is withdrawn, the coupler member isvr lowered to inactive position, and the pin kI'I then inserted in the orices I6. The face Il is disposed so that it engages the pin I1 when the coupler member is in inactive position as shown in Fig. 1. In thisinactive position the face 8 is disposed opposite a lower face I8 formed on a iixed part of the frame 2.

As thus far described the structure is conventional, and for a fuller description thereof reference is made to the above mentioned Hallquist Patent No. 1,724,194.

In the present invention the faces 8 and I8 are spaced to a predetermined extent when the coupler device is in inactive position and the device of the present invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral I9, is disposed within this space. In the conventional type the face 8 engages the face I8 when the coupler device is in inactive position, but in order to then insert the removable pin Il in the orifices I6 of the pilota little play must be provided between the pin Il and the face I4. This play gradually increases through wear of the engaging faces of the working parts, for instance between the pin II and face I 4, and between the pins Il and I3 and the faces with which they engage, and also between This wear is largely the result of the chattering, and as the wear increases the chattering and hammeringV increase followed by the injurious results produced thereby which have already been mentioned.

The device I9 is designed to coact with the pin I 'I to overcome these objectionable features.Y

When the device I9 is employed in designs similar to that shown in the aforementioned Lentz Patent No. 1,753,794 it will be located similarly as shown in the present application, but When employed in designs similar to that shown in the aforementioned Couch Patent 1,921,382 it will be located between the counterbalance and the inclined wall there shown for restricting the movement of the coupler device in an inactive direction.

In designs of structures of the counterbalance to say it does not rest upon the pilot and therefore is free to vibrate or chatter, which produces the excessive wear and destructive hammering previously referred to.

While preferred locations of the device I9 of the present invention have been mentioned, it will be understood that it may be disposed at other locations where it will produce the desired results. For instance it may be disposed between the pilot and the coupler member when the latter is in inactive position although this is not deemed the best location. Furthermore it may be secured to either of its engaging faces. For instance in the illustration of Fig. l the device I9 may bereversed and secured to the face 8 instead of the face I8. It is` therefore within the contemplation of the invention to dispose the device I9v at any suitable desired location and to secure it to either of the faces with which it engages.

The preferred construction of the device I9 is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It comprises a housing 20 formed of telescoping sections 2| and 22. The section 2| is provided with oriced laterally eX- tending lugs 23 for securing the device in place.

In Fig. l the device is secured to the face I8. This part of the locomotive is oriced in line with the orifices of the lugs 23 and bolts 24 are disposed in the aligned orifices for securing the device rigidly to the locomotive. An inwardly directed flange 25 is formed on the section 2I providing an opening through which the section 22 extends. .An outwardly directed flange 26 is formed on the section 22 within the housing portion of the section 2I, the two anges coming into engagement when the sections are fully extended thereby limiting the degree ofthe eXtension thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. The section 22 is provided with an outer wall 21 having an outer convex face 28.

AY compression helical spring 29 is disposed in the housing and the end of the section 2I opposite the flanged end thereof isleft open to permit the installationV of the section 22 and spring V29.H

The spring, at an end thereof, seats upon the wall 2l and'at its opposite end seats upon the face I8. Y

To better hold the spring in erect position bosses are provided fitting within the ends of the spring, one such boss 3U being integrally formed on the wall 2l and the other boss 3i being Vof* ring shape and welded to the face I8 kat the interior face ofY the ring, the Weld,l being indicated at 32 vin Fig.4 3.- Referring to Fig. 1, when the coupler device is l inactive position as shown in dot and dash lines,

and it is desired to move it to inactive position,

the pin Il is withdrawn and the device moved to inactive position as showny in full lines. It is highly desirable that, when the face 8( first comesV into contact with the face 28 ofthe device I9,the

face'l will not have reached Vits iinalposition.V

To move the face I to its final position marninall force is applied to further swing the couplerA member. This forces .the face 8 upwardly, which results in compressing the spring 29, and after sufficient movement the face I4 clears the circular orices It formed in the pilot side portions.v The pin Il is then inserted in place. The' amount of this movement and consequent tensioningof the spring may vary in different structures but it should be suici'ent to produce a yielding pressurey of the spring'upon the counterbalancesufcient to prevent or minimize chattering'and hammering.;as aforementioned.

Obviously the spring may be placedunder any desired degree of vnormal tension andmaybe. of

any desired. size .and strength. These vfactors will;

entervinto the functioning of the device I9 and the amount of forced movement and consequent tensioning of the spring in any instance, and

' these factors will be given due consideration as y with a counterbalance coupler device where when the coupler device is moved to an inactive position the coupler member is lowered and the counterbalance is raised respectively from their active positions., The invention is applicable also to types Where the movements are the reverse, of these', namely where the 'coupler member is raised and the counterbalance is lowered in moving fro active to inactive positions.

While there has been hereinbefore described an approved embodiment o'f this invention, it will be understood that many and various changes and modifications in form, arrangement of parts and details of construction thereof may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and that all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim are contemplated as a part of this invention.

The invention claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A locomotive coupler structure comprising a coupler having a head part and a counterbalance part extending inwardly from said head part; means disposed between said parts pvotally connecting said coupler to a xed part of the locomotive for swinging in a vertical plane from coupler-active to coupler-inactive position; stop means including an energizable resilient member disposed between one of said coupler parts and a fixed part of said locomotive adjacent thereto when said coupler is in said inactive position, said stop means being secured to one of said adjacent parts and said resilient member being in operable engagement with the other of said adjacent parts, said resilient member, when in said operable engagement, being adapted to be energized by forced movement of said coupler in a direction away from said active position; and detachable means adapted for engagement with a xed part of said locomotive and with said coupler when in said inactive position, but only when said resilient member has been energized by said forced movement to a predetermined amount, in extent sufdcient to hold said coupler when said detachable means is in said engagement in pressure engagement against said detachable means with a force suflicient to substantially prevent vibration of said coupler when said locomotive s running.

CHARLES L.' RED). 

